Health minister rejects children’s hospital claims
Speaking at the design team launch for the long-delayed project, he said suggestions from the Jack and Jill Foundation that “horrifying” problems about the St James’s Hospital site are being ignored, are wide of the mark.
Yesterday, the patient group — which opposes the planned site and wants the facility to be based near the M50 — said it received an anonymous letter from a St James’s Hospital consultant.
The letter raised issues over the ability of St James’s to cope with the demand and potential problems to do with traffic and access to the city centre building.
However, while stressing those with concerns should make contact, Mr Varadkar said the claims are untrue.
He said: “This is the third anonymous letter now, I’ve read them all and there’s absolutely nothing in any of the three letters which is new.”
Speaking at the launch, 17-year-old Orla Jackman, a leukaemia survivor from Carlow, said the hospital will allow teenagers space in single rooms instead of being placed near children “watching Peppa Pig” for weeks.
